Bright clear viewfinder, build quality, ease of use, image quality - very, very, very sharp given that the lens used is up to it (no chain is stronger than itīs weakest link). Ergonomics.

Cons:

Price, display, a bit cumbersome AF point selection.

I just recently bought my copy second hand, pretty much two days before the 1DsmkIII was revealed. Beeing a Nikon shooter throughout some 20 years this is my first Canon body.

After reading numerous articles on the web and then some i certainly expected a certain level of frustration getting used to how a 1D operates compared to a Nikon D2. I was so wrong, after browsing the menus for some 20 minutes, occasionally peeking in the manual i was ready to go. No "doh!" moments, only "ok, good".

The physical feel of a 1D body just has to be experienced, if you like things buildt solid like i do this body will leave you with a grin on your face lasting for days to end. Personally this camera sits much better in my hand compared to itīs Nikon counterpart...this is obviously a matter of taste and personal preference. Not intending to say anything bad about Nikon PRO bodies because they are magnificent but in my opinion the 1D is just as good in the ergonomic department. So far i have not put it through itīs paces when it comes to bad weather and rough handling and i probably wonīt for what i intend to use it for but it seems clear to me that this body will handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

Getting to the really interesting part now...the image quality. I have tried some high ISO shots just for fun, itīs not what i intend to do, they look fair enough, nothing impressive, just ok. Mounting it to a solid tripod, 100 ISO, MLU pared with a good lens really makes it shine, itīs sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp. Colors are excellent. Contrast excellent. Not really happy with how it deals with WB but this body is still new to me and like most digitial cameras it certainly got a personality of itīs own. Takes some time to learn how to tweak it to taste. Did i mention the sharpness?! File size is large when shooting RAW, not too large but be prepared to have a pair of decent HDīs and a decent software to handle the files.

Not gonna make this into a lengthy essay as it is an "old" camera and most things about it has already been said but thereīs one thing i would like to point out...if you would like a FF body in a 1D package and canīt afford the new hotness (1DsmkIII). Donīt hesitate if you can afford this baby second hand (or new), itīs all that and then some!